Hampton, a vibraphone virtuoso who died Saturday, broke a barrier that had kept black and white musicians from performing together in public. Through a six-decade career, he continued to build a name for himself as one of the greats in jazz history.

"He was really a towering jazz figure," said saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who played with Hampton in the 1950s. "He really personified the spirit of jazz because he had so much joy about his playing."

The 94-year-old showman and bandleader died of heart failure at Mount Sinai Medical Center, said his manager, Phil Leshin. Hampton suffered two strokes in 1995 and had been in failing health in recent years.

Partial Lionel Hampton discography

"For the Love of Music," 1995

"Just Jazz: Live at the Blue Note," 1991

"Live at the Blue Note," 1991

"Mostly Ballads," 1989

"Cookin' in the Kitchen," 1988

"Mostly Blues," 1988

"Sentimental Journey," 1985

"Fiftieth Anniversary Concert

Live at Carnegie Hall," 1978

"Live in Emmen, Holland," 1978

"Lionel Hampton and His Jazz Giants," 1977.

"Lionel Hampton and Friends: Rare Recordings, Vol. 1," 1977

"Reunion at Newport 1967," 1967

"You Better Know It," 1964

"Hamp and Getz," 1955

"Complete Quartet," 1955

"Lionel Hampton in Paris," 1953

"European Concert 1953," 1953

"Hot House," 1948

"Lionel Hampton and the Just Jazz All-Stars," 1947

"The Original Stardust,"1947

"Midnight Sun," 1947

"All-American Award Concert at Carnegie Hall," 1945

"Steppin' out (1942-1944)," 1944

"The Complete Lionel Hampton," 1941

"Lionel Hampton (1939-40)," 1940

"Tempo and Swing," 1940

"Lionel Hampton (1929-1940)," 1940

"Lionel Hampton's Jumpin' Jive, Vol. 2," 1939

"Big Mallets, Vol. 1," 1939

Source: "All Music Guide to Jazz"

Hampton played with a who's who of jazz, from Goodman to Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker to Quincy Jones. His own band helped foster or showcase other jazz greats including Charlie Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, Joe Williams and Dinah Washington.

"With Hampton's death, we've drawn closer to losing part of the origins of the early jazz era," said Phil Schaap, a jazz historian.

During his career, Hampton performed at the White House for presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Bush. When he played for Truman, his was the first black band to ever entertain in the White House, Hampton once said.

Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., remembered Hampton's 90th birthday party at the White House, when the man known as the "vibe president" invited President Clinton to grab his saxophone and jam.

"Lionel was a spectacular guy," said Rangel, who recalled seeing Hampton play at the Apollo Theater, the legendary concert venue in Harlem.

In 1997, Hampton received the National Medal of Arts  while wearing a borrowed suit, socks and shoes, because all his clothes and much of his bands' arrangements and other memorabilia had been destroyed in a fire two days earlier.

"He was an American music legend and will be sorely missed," President Bush said in a statement Saturday.

Hampton's music was melodic and swinging, but audiences also responded to his electric personality  the big smile, energy and bounce that contributed to his style. When not playing the vibes, he drummed, sang and played his own peculiar style of piano, using two fingers as if they were vibraphone mallets.

He was a songwriter, too. His most famous composition, "Flying Home," was written in 1937, and he played it about 300 times a year for the next half-century. It was a hit in 1942, propelled by an Illinois Jacquet tenor sax solo.

Hampton did not have a copy of his birth certificate but marked his birth date as April 20, 1908.